Disease Evolutionary Ecology

Research group of Justyna Wolinska
Disease Evolutionary Ecology group

Disease Evolutionary Ecology Group, June 2024

Back row (left to right): Vanderville Villegas (Andy), Athena Karapli-Petritsopoulou, Dagmar Frisch, Amruta Rajarajan, Pauline Thomé, Justyna Wolinska, Jürgen Strassert, Fabian Flücken.

Front row (left to right): Zeynep Daldaban, Erika Martinez Ruiz, Elisabeth Funke, Kristel Sanchez, Benjamin Schupp, Sarah Lauck.

We study evolutionary and ecological processes mediated by parasitism in aquatic ecosystems. Parasites are ubiquitous and impose strong selection on their hosts to evolve resistance, while themselves being under strong selection to undermine host defenses. We aim to improve understanding of the interface between host-parasite co-evolution and major ecological processes, under the influence of global environmental change. We focus on questions such as how parasitism contributes to the maintenance of genetic diversity, how it shapes interactions between host and non-host species, and how anticipated environmental challenges will modulate the occurrence of disease.

Our group uses several empirical approaches. Through field studies of natural populations, we are exploring the links between coevolution and genetic diversity, as well as between environmental components and occurrence of disease. Our field sites consist of sets of large permanent lakes, representing a gradient of environmental conditions. Specifically, we track genetic changes in populations and communities over both time and space (employing molecular approaches, e.g. next-generation-sequencing). Another component of our research involves laboratory experiments (single-generation experiments, as well as long-term surveys in microcosms). As a main model organism, we have concentrated on the crustacean Daphnia, which is well-established in ecological, evolutionary and genomic research, and is a key component of aquatic food webs. In addition, we study various phytoplankton species and their natural fungal (chytrid) parasites.

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Team

Justyna Wolinska

Programme Area Speaker
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology

Dagmar Frisch

Scientific Staff
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology
Molecular Ecology and Genomics

Elisabeth Funke

Research Technician
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology
Molecular Ecology and Genomics

Benjamin Schupp

Research Technician
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology

Anais Marchal

Doctoral Candidate
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology

Zeynep Daldaban

Doctoral Candidate
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology

Pauline Thomé

Doctoral Candidate
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology
Molecular Ecology and Genomics

Nele Guttmann

Student (BA/MA)
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology

Sarah Lauck

Student (BA/MA)
Research group
Disease Evolutionary Ecology